The rise of the ‘Left’ in ‘American Politics’

This should not come as a surprise to anyone, most of us saw this coming! The ‘Left Front’ in America was humiliated and consigned to the dustbin of history by the rise of ‘Reagan Revolution’ in 1980. Ronald Reagan brought back the so-called “conservatives” from the wilderness and created a new identity for them. These die-hard supply-siders were now called “neo-cons” or neo-conservatives. This group was sent to anonymity by the failure of Herbert Hoover and the rise of Franklin D Roosevelt. The ‘Left’ were called “progressives” and had a long run till 1980.

The withdrawal of Senator Judd Gregg from the consideration to be the Commerce Secretary in Obama administration is an alarming development. The details coming out of the White House clearly indicate the rise of Rahm Emanuel and Nancy Pelosi wing of the party in the new dispensation. It also confirms that the ‘Left front’ has learnt nothing from the debacle of 1993 and the subsequent loss in the mid-term elections in 1994. Barack Obama administration appears to be far more comfortable with the liberals and their extreme progressive policies of 1960s-70s.

Senator Judd Gregg’s Press Conference on Withdrawal

From Community Organizer to Commander-in-chief…

A divided government is a better government!

Team-Obama seems to have an ‘Intellectual Blind-Spot’

Rahm Emanuel is needed in Congress, not the White House!

Dhoni is the Obama of Indian Cricket!

Mahindra Singh Dhoni has transformed Indian Cricket the way Barack Obama has transformed American politics. This 27 years old young man from Ranchi, Bihar is as cool as Barack Obama under pressure. He is a rare all-rounder that Indian cricket has seldom seen. Kapil Dev is the only other Indian cricketer that comes to mind. But here is the big difference, Dhoni is a wicket-keeper and has a much better sense of the situation than Kapil Dev ever had being a bowler-batsman. But the bigger implication is Dhoni’s personal background. Kapil Dev came from a relatively affluent background and a much richer state. Mahindra Singh Dhoni was born in Bihar, the poorest state of India and with least amount of sports infrastructure. To compound the problem Ranchi became a part of Jharkhand State an even poorer entity.

When Kapil Dev led the team-India, it was an urban sport dominated by Bombay-Delhi cricketers. Dhoni has inspired the rural youth of India with his unpretentious small-town disposition. I have never been to Bihar or Jharkhand but still it is not difficult to imagine the boost that Dhoni’s elevation as the captain of the Indian Cricket Team must have provided to the youth in those states. Bihar, Orissa and now Jharkhand have not produced too many national cricketers since the Indian Independence. It is not the people’s fault that their political leadership has ignored the development of these and many other North-Indian States. Every Dhoni and Mohammad Kaif would become a development symbol of their respective state in the time to come. Dhoni is an unusually aggressive cricketer because of his State.

Not so shy Dhoni in a Pepsi Ad